1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to monitoring cables and, more specifically, to monitoring cables in which electrodes or electrode connectors are provided along the cable.
2. Description of the Related Art
An electrocardiogram (ECG) is used when monitoring a patients heart activity. A patient is connected to an ECG monitoring system with ECG cables. A typical ECG cable for monitoring, for example, is referred to as a 12-lead ECG. A 12-lead ECG requires the use of a 10 wire ECG cable for acquiring ECG signals. One end of the cable is connected to a monitor/acquisition unit with a trunk cable via a connector. The other end of the trunk cable includes a splitter. The splitter splits the 10 individual lead wires provided in the trunk cable, into the 10 lead wires to be connected to the patient. Each of the 10 lead wires is typically 1 m long. Other types of monitor cables include 3, 5 and 8 wire cables.
A problem with such ECG cables is that they are very cumbersome to connect to the patient, particularly when using a 10-wire ECG cable for 12-lead ECG monitoring. In addition, the lead wires tend to tangle, further making use of the ECG cable difficult. It can be difficult for the user to untangle the lead wires while at the same time trying to connect the correct lead wire to the corresponding electrode on the patient. The procedures for connecting the typical ECG cable are time consuming and are not very user friendly.